Fruits should be heavy for their size and free from mold, mildew, bruises, cuts, or other blemishes. Some fruits are picked and shipped while still firm, so they may need additional ripening.

To ripen, place fruit in a small, clean paper bag. (A plastic bag is not recommended because it doesn't allow fruit to breathe and can produce mold on the fruit from trapped moisture.) Loosely close the bag and store it at room temperature. Feel free to mix varieties of fruit in the same bag. To speed up the ripening process, place a ripe apple or ripe banana in the bag with underripe fruit. Check fruit daily and remove any that yields to gentle pressure. Enjoy ripe fruit immediately or remove fruit from the bag and transfer it to the refrigerator for a few days to retard further ripening. (For more selection information, download chart below. Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat software.)